Ahead of Trump’s swearing-in Ceremony as the 47th US President, Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng met US Vice President-elect J.D. Vance and Elon Musk among other business tycoons in separate meetings.
According to the Trump transition team, Han discussed fentanyl, trade balance, and regional conflicts with Vance. The Chinese government emphasized this as an extensive common interest and a significant opportunity for cooperation between US and China.
Chinese President Xi Jinping was also invited to Trump’s inauguration which was denied. However, Xi had a conversation with Trump over a phone call and Xi reiterated the possibility for US-China to be ‘good friends and partners’
Xi on the phone call stressed the need for both countries to respect each other’s core interests and major concerns and find a proper solution to the problem.
In the meeting with Musk, Han invited US firms including Tesla to seize opportunities in China and share its fruit of development. He urged US companies to make new and greater contributions to the economic development of the US and China.
He assured U.S. firms of China’s dedication to advancing reforms, increasing openness, and improving the business environment. He also expressed hope that U.S. companies would maintain their investments in China.
Following the meetings with Vance and Musk, Chinese-owned App TikTok restored its services after it went offline for 12 hours following a federal ban, on the weekend. Earlier, Trump had announced its plan to put a halt to the ban. Furthermore, TikTok’s CEO Shou Chew has also been invited by Trump to the inauguration ceremony.
